The Truth About Sean Evans' Favorite Hot Ones Guests
It's not hard to see the allure of Hot Ones. The YouTube web series from First We Feast, a channel with over 8 million subscribers, has a diehard fan base that loves seeing their favorite celebrities in a totally different kind of interview context: biting into a range of spicy (like ridiculously spicy) hot wings while attempting to talk to host Sean Evans amid sweat and tears.
Evans has been praised not only for his straight-faced, calm demeanor as he chows down on wings along with his guests, but also for his ability to come up with unique, thoughtful, and well-researched questions. YouTube users are clearly digging Evans and his team's videos — Hot Ones has racked up more than 39 million views to date.
But that's not to say crowds are always pleased with every episode. There are some guests whose interviews didn't live up to the hype, leaving viewers disappointed. There are also some real winners. Even Evans has his top choices. The host, along with Hot Ones creator Chris Schonberger, went on Reddit last year to answer fans' questions, which of course included inquiries about favorite guests.
Why Sean Evans is now a fan of Hot Ones guest Shawn Mendes
One Redditor asked Evans, "Who was a guest you weren't really looking forward to interviewing but turned out to be a great interview?" Evans responded that it's a tough one to answer because ultimately, he and his team wouldn't have a guest on Hot Ones if they truly didn't want him or her there. However, he answered that he didn't expect much when he had Shawn Mendes on the show at first because the singer belonged to a genre they had "never really touched." Evans also admitted that he didn't know a lot about Mendes beforehand so he was a "little meh" about the idea of interviewing the artist.
But after having Mendes on the show, Evans changed his tune. The host found the star to be "the sweetest guy" and claimed to be "certified #MendesArmy." He also confessed that the episode with the singer is one of his all-time favorites.
Sean Evans on Gordon Ramsay's time on Hot Ones
In the Reddit thread, another user inquired about Evans' favorite episodes, to which the host responded: "Trick Daddy, Eric Andre, Scarlett, Charlize, Russell Brand and Gordon are some of my favorites." Gordon Ramsay, whose Hot Ones episode has racked up over 63 million views on YouTube, was the most requested guest in the history of the show. When Evans was interviewed on the H3 Podcast in February, he spoke about the behind-the-scenes story of scoring this ultimate guest. The Hot Ones host said Ramsay came in, knowing that the episode would become one that would live on in internet fame.
Evans also revealed that though the celebrity chef may have put on his famous prickly persona for the sake of entertaining viewers, that's not what he was like off-camera. According to him, Ramsay was a "teddy bear and was awesome to work with." Evans also shared on the podcast that after the interview with the chef, the Hot Ones team members hugged each other as if they had won something because they knew scoring a spot with Ramsay was a huge moment for the show.
Why Sean Evans enjoyed interviewing Ricky Gervais on Hot Ones
Evans admitted to People earlier this year that it's hard to narrow down which Hot Ones guests are his top picks as more and more celebs come on the show. According to him, all the episodes "check different boxes." But he named a few that stuck with him for particular reasons. He likes some episodes not so much because of the guests but because of how they brought the team together. Evans named the episodes with Ricky Gervais and Russell Brand as ones that have a special place in his heart because of "some sort of weird behind-the-scenes story about how it galvanized the show together."
During another part of Evans' spot on the H3 Podcast, Evans and Schonberger revealed that Gervais was "one of the nicest guests ever." The British comedian apparently apologized profusely for throwing in the towel early and not eating all of the wings. He even expressed concern that he might have ruined the show.
Evans said that back then was one of their favorite eras for the show because it had been such a monumental phase for defining Hot Ones. The two also affectionately shared memories of going to London during the show's earlier stages, when they didn't have much of a budget. According to them, they had to film the Brand and Gervais episodes and multiple videos for other series during a three-day trip, shooting from "noon to night."
Sean Evans on his Hot Ones interviews with Paul Rudd and Alexa Chung
The Hot Ones host has also said that there are episodes he likes because they offer good vibes, mentioning the episode with Paul Rudd as a prime example. A short exchange between the actor and Evans during the interview gained a lot of love afterwards. In the episode, before Rudd bites down on a cauliflower wing with a little of every sauce on the table, he says, "Look at us" to Evans. "Hey, look at us," Rudd repeats with a smile on his face. "Look at us," the host responds. "Who would have thought?" Rudd answers back, "Not me," with a comedic tone of disbelief.
This brief moment has been cemented as a meme on the internet, where people are using it to express the feeling of reaching an unexpected goal or finding yourself in an unforeseen situation (via HuffPost).
Evans is also a fan of his episode with Alexa Chung because in his opinion, the model's irreverent, cheeky approach to interviewing guests during her time as a host for U.K. television show Popworld inspired the framework for Hot Ones.
The future Hot Ones guests Sean Evans wants to see
Who might show up on future Hot Ones episodes? Evans told People that Howard Stern is one of his dream guests and an idol for him ever since he studied broadcast journalism during college, but he doesn't really think the radio personality will ever join in for an episode. This is because Evans doesn't believe Stern would really want to participate in the show's main premise: suffering through tortuously spicy chicken wings for all of the web to see. The YouTube host said that based on what he knows about Stern, he wouldn't bet on him ever being a guest, though he admitted "you never know."
Evans also said now that Ramsay has appeared on the show, the other celebrities that fans on social media most frequently request to see next are actors Keanu Reeves, Will Smith, and Dwayne Johnson. For the Hot Ones host, these stars are his "new trophy hunts." Considering the popularity of Hot Ones, having these celebs on the show honestly doesn't seem that far-fetched.